Walking with the Wounded support Fix the Fells

The Cumbrian Challenge is Walking With The Wounded’s fun and testing, annual fundraising event in the Lake District for teams of four. Every team that takes part supports another wounded veteran back into work and independence. Teams can tackle one of three routes, “Peak” (1 peak, 16km), “Tough” (3 peaks, 23km), and “Tougher” (4 peaks, 29km).

The event, presented by BAE Systems, brings more than 600 people to the Lake District every year in aid of vulnerable veterans. As part of being a responsible event organiser Walking With The Wounded makes a contribution to Fix the Fells in recognition of the impact the event has on the Lake District paths which get used.

Joanne Backshall from Fix the Fells, which is a partnership project led by the National Trust and the Lake District National Park said: “We are very grateful to Walking with the Wounded for pledging a donation to fix the Fells from their popular 2017 Cumbrian Challenge event. It is wonderful that they raise so much for their own excellent cause but also recognise their event has an impact on the Lakeland fells and make a contribution towards their upkeep. This is a perfect example of responsible fundraising and really helps Fix the Fells keep the fell paths repaired and maintained. We are undertaking work on some of the many paths around Grasmere this year and next, particularly following the damage caused by the December 2015 floods. Our thanks go to all the organisers of this event.”

Walking with the Wounded’s Partnership and Events Manager, Andy Sloan said: “The Cumbrian Challenge is an important event for us and is growing year on year thanks to the phenomenal support of our participants. While the event brings significant business to Grasmere and the local economy and raises a serious sum for wounded veterans we are conscious of our environmental impact and are always looking at ways to minimise this by working with local partners like Fix the Fells.”

To celebrate the fifth year of the event, participants brave enough to take on the Tough and Tougher courses will head for ‘Hel’ and back, conquering Helvellyn – at 950m the third highest point in England and the Lake District behind Scafell Pike and Sca Fell.

At the summit of Helvellyn, the communications infrastructure experts from Arqiva – will man a ‘summit selfie station’ where, using satellite technology, they will provide stable and secure access to the internet to post photos or videos of participants’ big moment to social media.

Andy Sloan, Events Manager, Walking With The Wounded, said: “Not everyone can climb a mountain so we are always looking at ways to make our events accessible to all. Arqiva’s technology will allow friends and family to join in the views and sense of achievement in scaling one of the UK’s iconic summits. Whether the weather will play ball is anyone’s guess but this will hopefully engage a lot more people in the event and its outcomes, supporting vulnerable veterans.”

Established in 2010, Walking With The Wounded provides vulnerable veterans’ independence through employment.

We recognise the inherent skills of our armed service personnel and want to complement these qualities, as well as provide support to transfer their skills into the civilian workplace. We offer assistance through our programmes to those vulnerable veterans who have been physically, mentally or socially disadvantaged by their service and assist them in gaining independence through new long term careers outside of the military. This includes providing support to homeless veterans and veterans in the Criminal Justice System, areas which are too often ignored.

The outcome? Sustainable employment, and independence for them and their families.

About Us

We are a team of skilled rangers and volunteers who repair and maintain the mountain paths in the Lake District with funding from donations and partners. A combination of millions of pairs of walking boots, the weather and gradient means erosion is a constant problem. Our path work reduces erosion scars and also helps protect the ecology and archaeological heritage of our beautiful landscape.